Fuse for shells



muted pnt-52.21.890...

pas." mim UNITED SIArns GEORGE PHILLIPS, OF CORSIGNA, TEXAS.

FUSE FOR SHELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,210, dated April22, 1890.

Application filed September 3, 1889. Serial No. 322,849. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Corsicana, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Fuses for Shells, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of percussion-fuses wherein afuse-tube is secured in the point or end of a shell and contains aplunger connected with a friction-wire embedded in the fulminate in suchIna-nner that when the iiight of the shell is suddenly arrested thefriction-wire is drawn forward by the plunger, thereby igniting thefulininate and setting fire to the powder charge for bursting the shell.

In prior percussion-fuses the plunger has been provided with a centralorifice, through which the friction-wire passes, theforward end ofthelatter having a shoulder or enlargement, against which the plungerstrikesA if moved slightly forward, thereby disturbing the friction-wireand igniting the fulminate. It has been practicably demonstrated bytests that serious objections exist in such percussion-fuses, for theshell frequently bursts at the muzzle of the gun by reason of theplunger untimelyand improperly disturbing or operating thefriction-wire, this effect being mainly due to the fact that the plungeracts directly on the friction-wire, and when a shell reaches the Inuzzleit in a measure checks and produces a slight forward movement of theplunger, which is sufficient to cause premature explosion. Again, withthe prior construction it has been found in some instances that shellsfail to-burst when their flight is suddenly arrested, by reason of thefact that the plunger, acting gradually and directly on the frictionwire, lacks sufficient force or power to instantly draw the wireforward, and hence the fulminate is not ignited.

The objects of my invention are to avoid the objections alluded to andto provide novel means which not only insure bursting of the shell, butavoid premature bursting at the muzzle of the gun. To accomplish theseobjects, my invention involves the features of construction, thecombination or arrangement of devices, and the principles of operationhereinafter described in detail, and spcciiically set forth in theclaim, reference be ing made to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in side elevation,I ofa percussion-fuse embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectionalelevation of a shell having the improved fuse applied thereto.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to thedrawings, wheren The numeral l indicates a shell of anysuitable or knownconstruction, having an orifice 2 at its point or front end, into whichis screwed or otherwise inserted the fuse-tube 3, provided at its innerend with a female screw thread 4, engaged by the male screw-thread on ladisk 5, having a tubular extension 6, that contains the fulminate orfriction composition 7. This composition is closely packed in thetubular extension about a serrated friction-wire S, which terminates atits outer end in an eye located in juxtaposition to the disk. In thefuse-tube is arranged the sliding plunger l0, and between the plungerand the friction-wire is interposed a flexible linkchain 9, one endbeing attached to the wire and the other end centrally connected with orto the plunger. The length of the iiexible chain or cord is sufficientthat when extended the plunger will stand at some distance from theinner end of the friction-wire. I prefer a chain of such length that theplunger will stand in the fuse-tube about onethird the length thereoffrom its outer end, which end is made as a screw-plug 11, having acentral passage about onesixteenth of an inch in diameter.

If a shell provided with my improvement be fired from a piece ofordnance, the plunger moves rearward, and when the flight of the shellis suddenly arrested the plunger springs forward and by means of theiiexible chain obtains considerable momentum before acting on thefiring-wire, in consequence of which the wire is suddenly jerked out ofthe fulminate or friction composition, in contradistinction to beinggradually drawn out, as in those fuse-tubes where the plunger isdirectly engaged with the friction-wire. The flexible chain thusprovides safe means whereby the requisite vforce or power is secured forthe correct action of the friction-Wire at the proper time.

The shell is prevented from bursting at the muzzle of the gun, for thereason that When the shell checks, as it Were, at the muzzle the plungercan advance a considerable distance Without acting on the friction-Wire, While at the instant of firing the plunger can move freelybackward Without danger of disturbing the friction-pin.

The chain is made, as usual, of links loosely connected, and toaccommodate it in its collapsed state the plunger may be chambered atits inner end and the disk carrying the tu-' bular extension may be ofcup shape, the construction being such that when the plunger is at thelimit of its backward movement the rim formed by the chamber restsagainst the rim formed by making the disk cupshaped, as Will be obvious.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- Thecombinatioinwith a fuse-tube, a friction-Wire embedded in thefulminateor friction composition, anda plunger, of a iexiblesafety-chain interposed between and ieXibly connecting the frontend ofthe friction-Wire

